Daydreams from the Spirited Sea

Lots of studies have recognised the value of TTRPGs as therapy tools, but bemoan the lack of a therapeutic framework. This TTRPG is a therapeutic framework, built using concepts and ideas from Counselling and Narrative Therapy, which allows players to become more sure of themselves and ultimately happier, confident people.

A Mental Health TTRPG

Origins

Daydreams from the Spirited Sea is my university finals project. This game is inspired by my own mental health challenges. The two things that helped me recover were TTRPGs (tabletop roleplaying games) and counselling.

I later realised a number of my friends could also benefit from counselling and therapy, but counselling is often prohibitively expensive. Whilst I'm not a qualified mental health professional, and can't fully replace professional aid, I embarked on a quest to bring some basic mental health concepts to everyone.

Thus, the idea of building a TTRPG using principals from counselling and therapy came to me. In my game, players explore the eponymous Spirited Sea, a mystical and wondrous ocean full of sights to see and treasures to discover, as themselves. The game is designed to help players figure out who they are and help consolidate this safely.